Recent News
Did Orwell’s fear of the sea shape his novel?
George Orwell had a traumatic relationship with the sea. In August 1947, while he was writing Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides, he went on a fishing trip with his young son, nephew and niece. Having misread the tidal schedules, on the way back Orwell mistakenly piloted the boat […]
Penguin at 90: Profit with Purpose
Penguin UK CEO Tom Weldon is the latest inheritor of the Penguin brand which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year. In a thoughtful article in the Bookseller he noted that founder Allen Lane’s vision for his revolutionary line of cheap paperbacks was both “missionary and mercenary”. He wanted to grow the market, but to […]
Audiobooks Hit Record High in the UK
Audiobooks and fiction drove publishing growth in 2024, according to new figures released by the UK Publishers Association. Audiobook revenue was £268 million which is the highest ever and up 31% on 2023. Fiction is up 18%, bringing in revenue of over £1 billion for the first time. Digital formats were a key driver of […]